


Secrets

by CxNxPxS



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: AU, Action, Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Crimes & Criminals, Light Angst, M/M, Mystery, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Suspense, light humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-04-30 18:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5174792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CxNxPxS/pseuds/CxNxPxS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The adultrio and trouble trio wake up in a world where they are forced to live a normal life together as they search for a way back to their own world; however, not everyone has the same agenda.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ephona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephona/gifts).



> Another au fan fic I wanted to write about the relationship between the adultrio and trouble trio. Some of their characterizations maybe off in some parts. 
> 
> Thank you for reading this :)

Chrollo awoke to the sound of someone banging something hard against the wall in the room next door. It grew louder as he lifted his head up from the pillow on the bed and opened his eyes to the darkness in the room. Cold air came in through the open window, kissing his skin on his face and bare chest.

He sat up and cleared his throat a little before he nudged Hisoka in his side. The magician didn’t budge from his touch. He continued to sleep with his arm hanging off from the side of the bed. His fingertips touched the dusty wooden floor. Light snores escaped his open mouth with a little drool dribbling his down his chin to the pillow. A large blanket covered his body and stopped at his head. His hair was disheveled with long strands pointing in every direction.

Chrollo sighed and turned to Illumi who slept on the other side of him. His long black hair was tied up into a neat bun on top of his head fastened by one of his sharp needles he used to turn innocent victims into his puppets. He slept on his side with his face toward the wall and a large pillow underneath his head. Part of the blanket covered the lower half of his body, leaving his bare chest and stomach exposed.

Illumi yawned and scratched his stomach after a few moments. “If the person continues to bang on the wall, I’m going to kill them.”

Chrollo cleared his throat. “I was thinking the same.” He turned to Hisoka and nudged him in the side again. “Are you going to sleep in all day again?”

Hisoka opened up his eyes a little and groaned. He hated Chrollo waking him up in the morning because it meant they would go into the city to find a way out of the world they were trapped in back to their own. He didn’t want to walk around for hours underneath the hot sun asking people absurd questions about some magic door that would lead them back to York New City. Even if the door did exist, he didn’t want to find it right away because he was interested in fighting some strong opponents he had spotted.

One of them was the princess of the world they were trapped in. He didn’t know her name because she never told him after they had fought at the city square. She had broken three of his fingers with a swift punch and knocked out a molar with a kick. He was amazed by her fighting skills and wanted to see what else she could do but didn’t get a chance to because a guard knocked him out. He awoke hours later to Chrollo and Illumi standing over him with a puzzled expression on their faces.

“Are you going to sleep in all day again?” Chrollo repeated his question.

Hisoka groaned again and sat up a little. The blanket fell off from his body down onto the bed. He reached up underneath his shirt to scratch his stomach. A yawn escaped his lips as he thought about Chrollo’s question. If he slept in until the afternoon, he would be able to follow a guard back to the palace and kill the princess. If he didn’t, he would have to wait until the next day.

Decisions. Decisions.

Illumi moved off the bed and walked over to the bathroom next to the kitchen. He crouched down a little to fit through the small door and closed it once he was inside. Hisoka looked over at the door and thought about what he was going to say to Chrollo. If he continued to stay quiet, the thief would suspect he’s up to something.

Hisoka stood up and stretched his arms. He breathed in the cold air inside the room and let it out slowly. Today was going to be a good day if he played his cards right. He needed Illumi and Chrollo to leave so that he could go to the bar in the city and wait for the guard to show up. The only problem was that he didn’t have money to buy food since the owner didn’t like people sitting inside without buying anything.

Crap.

“I’m assuming you’ll be joining us in the city today?” Chrollo asked.

Hisoka walked over to the bathroom and leaned against the wall as he waited for Illumi to come out. “Oh, I have something I need to do later on so I won’t be joining you guys.”

Chrollo raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s that?”

Hisoka laughed a little. He knew where the conversation would go if he answered it with a lie. Even the truth would cause the same outcome. The fact that Chrollo caught onto every lie that has spilled off his tongue bothered him more than going months without killing someone. Since when did he start to catch onto his lies? Was it when he was in the phantom troupe? Or was it before that?

Illumi walked out of the bathroom with his hair down. He pressed a button on the wall next to the kitchen to turn on the ceiling light. The light flickered off and on before the bulb broke with shards of glass falling to the floor. He cursed underneath his breath as he walked over to a small table next to the bed and turned on a lamp that was in the shape of a cat.

“We really need to get out of this world,” Illumi said angrily. “I swear every time we turn on the ceiling light or use the toilet, something breaks.”

Hisoka shrugged. “It’s not that bad. At least we have a roof over our head and a refrigerator with food inside.”

“There’s spoiled food inside since the power keeps going out,” Chrollo reminded him. “Did you talk to the owner about moving to another room?”

“He said all the rooms are full. Apparently another person wondered into the city and checked in last night. It could be someone from our world,” Hisoka said. He licked his lips and thought about who it could be.

Was it Machi? Or was it Phinks?

Chrollo’s eyes lit up from his statement. “Another person checked in? What room are they in?”

Hisoka shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe you can ask our neighbors if they know anything.”

“I’ll ask around in the lobby,” Chrollo said moving off the bed and walking over to the refrigerator. He opened it up and a strong sour smell came out of it. All of the food was moldy with a strange color he’s never seen before. He shut the door and grabbed his coat. “I guess I’ll have to eat at the café next door.”


	2. Chapter 2

Phinks leaned back in the chair as he watched Shalnark surf the internet for information about the town they were trapped in. His eyes scanned the various websites to see if he spotted something before the blonde, but nothing jumped out at him. He cursed underneath his breath and clenched his fist tightly as if he was preparing to punch someone in the face.

“This is useless,” Phinks said clenching his fist harder until they turned red. “Let’s find information my way.”

“I agree. This is a waste of time. We could have information already if we went with his plan,” Feitan said leaning forward toward Shalnark. He smelled a strong scent of vanilla soap drifting from the blonde and wondered what time he woke up to take a shower.  “How many antennas do you have left?”

“Not enough to get us information,” Shalnark said slightly irritated. “We’ll use Phinks’s plan as a last case scenario if I can’t find anything on the internet.”

Phinks slammed his fist down on the desk hard. A glass of water tipped over and rolled onto the dusty tile floor. It broke into several pieces with a large shard sliding across the floor toward Feitan’s foot stopping inches away. The thief clicked his tongue and picked up the large shard to examine it closely. He stared at the sharp edges with a smile on his face as he imagined it jammed into someone’s neck.

“Let me torture the owner of the café. I’m sure they know something,” Feitan said pressing his fingertips down on the shard’s sharp edges. Small drops of blood cascaded down the side of it and fell to the floor painting crimson polka dots on the tile’s white canvas. “I’ll still do it anyway even if you tell me no.”

Shalnark moved his hands away from the keyboard and leaned back in the chair. He really hated Feitan’s rebellious side as much as he hated Phink’s short temper. Their attitudes crawled inside of his skin and sent harmful toxins to every inch of his body like poison from a ferocious bite of a venomous snake. He tasted their nagging words inside of his mouth and tried his best to swallow each one as he pretended he wasn’t affected.

If Shalnark had it his way, he would try to stick an antenna into Feitan and Phinks’s neck while they were sleeping, turning them into his mindless toys. As soon as their eyes opened up, he would press the mute button on his cellphone to keep them quiet for the rest of the day while he surf the internet for information.

Maybe in the morning Shalnark would wrap his hand around their neck as he pierced an antenna into their soft skin with a devious smile on his lips. The process in turning his victims into a toy brought joy to his vicious heart.

“Shal!” Phinks yelled. He slammed his fist on the desk again. The computer screen shook violently. “Are you even listening?”

Shalnark made a humming noise. “Give me thirty minutes.”

“I’ll be in the café,” Feitan said standing up and walking toward the front door. He placed his hand on the door knob. “Phinks, let’s have a contest to see who can get information first.”

Phinks grinned and cracked his knuckles. “You’re on.”

A tick startled in Shalnark’s jaw. “Your plan isn’t wise.”

Feitan shrugged. “So?”

“Keep them alive.”

“Maybe,” Feitan said opening up the door.

~*~

Illumi sat across from Chrollo inside of the café with two cups of hot coffee on the table. He reached out to pick up the cup slowly, keeping his eyes on the people sitting around him. He listened carefully for any information about the town but nothing pertaining to it was discussed. The only thing the people conversed about was an upcoming parade where everyone danced in the street and ate greasy food.

He sighed and took a small sip from the cup tasting the caramel flavor on his tongue. He swished the liquid in his mouth as if he were test tasting an expensive bottle of wine before swallowing. If he was alone in the café, he would have chugged the coffee down quickly as his throat bathed in the sweltering liquid.

Chrollo picked up a menu next to him and flipped to the breakfast section. His eyes scanned the various pictures of oleaginous food topped with what looked like strawberries or something resembling it. He flipped to the desert section quickly to see if there was anything appetizing but nothing caught his attention.

“Where should we start to gather information?” Illumi asked.

Chrollo closed the menu and clicked his tongue. “We can start here or maybe head to the town square.” He paused and looked around the café. “There’s always someone gossiping about something. We just need to find the right person.”

“I can always turn someone into my puppet if we can’t retrieve any information the normal way,” Illumi said pulling out a sharp needle from his pants pocket and inspecting it carefully. “I have one on me so we need to make it count.” He looked over at the counter and saw a large chubby man with rosy cheeks taking a couples order. “He might have information.”

“It’s possible but then again looks can be deceiving” Chrollo said smiling a little because he was a master at deceiving others to get what he wants. “We could become friends with some people.”

“What for?” Illumi raised an eyebrow.

“We would pretend to be their friend and gossip with them. If they invite us to their home, we’ll search for information. If we get caught, we’ll kill them and befriend someone else,” Chrollo said calmly.

Illumi thought about his plan for a few moments. It seemed good but he didn’t want to pretend to be someone’s friend because he hated listening to their dull life stories. If he was able to get drunk off of alcohol, he would purposely drink a lot before entering a conversation to calm his mind; more so his nerves to prevent himself from stabbing them in the chest every time their mouth opened.

“Fine, I’ll go along with your plan; however, if they start to irritate me I won’t hesitate to kill them,” Illumi said crossing his arms.

“I figured as much,” Chrollo said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this. Please let me know what you think. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Hisoka entered an art gallery a few blocks away from the apartment. He wore a black v-neck short sleeve shirt over blue jean pants with black flats on his feet. His hair was down naturally with some strands sticking out in every direction. A small earring in the shape of star was in his right ear while in the other was a tear shaped earring.

He paused by the door before he proceeded to the front counter where a young woman in her mid-thirties was staring at him with a twinkle in her eyes as if  she was expecting him to ask her out on a date. He glanced at his reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall beside him to see if anything was out of place in his appearance. Nothing stood out except for a small pimple on his chin.

“Can I help you?” the young woman asked walking over to him with her arms crossed. She eyed his attire up and down with a slight grin on her face. “Do you have a reservation for a tour?”

Hisoka glimpsed at her quickly before returning to his reflection in the mirror. “I’m looking for someone.”

The young woman sighed. “Sir, if you’re here to complain about the exhibit from last week I’ll have to direct you to my supervisor.”

Hisoka raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about? What happened at the exhibit from last week? Did a fight break out between two powerful opponents?

“Yes, I want to complain about the exhibit from last week,” Hisoka lied.

The young woman sighed again and walked back to the counter. She picked up a pad and pen and placed it on top of the counter quickly. She pushed it toward the edge with a disturbed expression on her face.

“Please write down your name and number. I’ll give it to my supervisor as soon as they get in,” the young woman said.

Hisoka walked over to the counter slowly with his hands in his pockets. He kept his eyes on her face because her disturbed expression perked his curiosity. Was she upset because he wanted to discuss his attendance to an exhibit he’s never been to before or was she upset because she didn’t want to deal with him?

The joy of fooling others in his game of lies satisfied him more than a one nightstand. Not that he opposed sex; however, it didn’t make his heart beat against the refinements of his ribcage like his lies whenever they rolled off his tongue. He wasn’t expecting to lie to someone so soon but the situation called for it because he wanted to know what had happened at the exhibit.

Perhaps he could coax her into giving him details instead of talking her to her supervisor.

“Is it necessary for me to talk to your supervisor? I rather talk to you about…” Hisoka paused and looked at the wall to gather his thoughts. He saw several abstract artworks with various colors mixed together. He winched because it looked like someone vomited on the canvas. “I wanted to discuss the main artwork that was on display that night.”

“I’m sorry sir but I can’t talk to you about it. Please contact my…” the young woman began to say but stopped when Hisoka reached up underneath his sweater to scratch his stomach, revealing his rock hard abs. Her eyes traced each one carefully. “Oh…um…I’ll leave your name and number with my supervisor.”

Hisoka made a humming noise. “Are you sure you can’t talk to me about it?”

“No I can’t.”

“Please,” Hisoka leaned closer to her. He smelled raspberry perfume coming from her. It was a little strong but it didn’t bother his nose too much. “Is there anything I can do to persuade you?”

“Sir, if you’re not going to give me your information, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the young woman demanded.

Hisoka stared at her for a few moments as he tried to pick out a number for her strength on his worthy opponent scale. It wasn’t in the 90’s like some of the hunters he had encountered in his world. It was around 50 which was too low for him to kill her in that very moment. As much as he wanted to slice her throat and watch her blood paint a picture for him on the floor, his standards prevented him from taking any action.

If he did kill her, he considered her death as part of his painting process in his twisted mind where he believed he was an abstract expressionist, painting a masterpiece he wanted to show the world. Every wound he would inflict on her body expressed his emotions from the depths of his mind.

Hisoka turned around to walk out of the art gallery when the young woman ran up to him and placed her hands on his arm gently. She moved close to his body and stood up on her tippy toes so that she could whisper into his ear. The scent of strawberry shampoo tickled her nose as she moved her lips closer to his ear.

“I know you weren’t at the exhibit. I’m not sure why you lied to me to talk to my supervisor but whatever the reason is, an outsider like you should mind your own business” she said carefully. She touched a strand of his hair with her fingertip. “It would be such a shame for a gorgeous man to have a fatal accident while he was sleeping.”

“Oh?” Hisoka said growing hard a little. “I look forward to that.”

~*~

Feitan entered the café with his hands inside of his pockets slightly irritated. He pushed past a group of people waiting in line to order food at the counter. One person looked down at him and started to giggle a little as they pointed at him. Another mumbled that his parents should keep a close eye on him because children shouldn’t wonder around alone.

He stopped at the counter and pretended to look up at the menu as a young man looked down at him with a wide smile on his face, baring his pearly white teeth. He reached his hand into a jar of multicolor lollipops and handed one to Feitan.

Feitan stared at the lollipop as if it was contaminated with a deadly disease for a few moments. He wanted to kill the young man for mistaking him as a child but decided torturing him for information was a better option. He grabbed the lollipop innocently and placed it into his pocket.

“You know a child shouldn’t wonder around the town alone without their parents. A lot of children have been disappearing lately,” the young man said in a matter of fact tone. He leaned forward on the counter. “Did you want me to help you find your parents?”

“No…” Feitan began to say but stopped when he realized it was a perfect opportunity to be alone with the young man so that he could torture him. “I mean, yes, I would like it if you could help me find my parents.”

Feitan watched the young man lean away from the counter and walk to a door behind him. The words employees only were in bold print on the middle of the door. It was the perfect place to torture him for a few hours until he got bored and decided to find another employee to get information from.

Hopefully there wasn’t anyone else in the room otherwise he would have to break his promise with Shalnark and kill someone. He didn’t understand why the blonde wanted him to not shed any blood like they did back in their world. It didn’t make any sense to him.

“Please follow me to the manager’s office,” the young man said continuing to smile.

Feitan nodded his head and followed him inside the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this. Please let me know what you think or leave kudos if you want to. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Phinks stood inside of a grocery store across from their apartment with his arms crossed and a small frown on his face. He was supposed to be interrogating someone for information about the town they were trapped in but instead decided to look for food. His stomach had made a growling noise that sounded like a vicious dog baring its teeth at a stranger trying to pet it as he entered the store. The noise had embarrassed so him so much his cheeks turned red.

The grocery store wasn’t full of people; however, there was enough for him to interrogate after he satisfied his hunger. The only problem was purchasing the food because he didn’t have any money on him to pay for it. He didn’t want to ask Shalnark for some before he left the apartment because the blonde’s arduous attitude pissed him so much.

At times he really hated Shalnark as much as he hated the phantom troupe. Chrollo called them his family but he doubted the word clung to his soul like the ink verses resting on the white pages to a book of poems he read by the candle light.

A sigh escaped his lips as he reached out to grab a large box of cereal. There was a picture of a cartoon cat with an eerie smile sitting next to a bowl of paw shaped marshmallows and roasted flakes. The milk surrounding it was a bizarre color he’s never seen before.

He assumed the marshmallows turned the milk into the strange color since children preferred to eat something that looked like it came from out of a garbage can. At least the children he grew up with in Meteor city liked eating with a dreadful texture but tasted sweet inside the mouth.

“That’s a good brand,” A young woman said walking toward him with a smile on her face. She stopped next to him and reached for a box and placed it inside of her basket. “It’s cheap, looks disgusting, but tastes good.” She leaned closer to him. “You must be new.”

Phinks snorted. “And if I am?”

The young woman shrugged. “Nothing…I just like to help out new people who come to this town.”

“Why?” Phinks asked pretending to be intrigued by her answer.

 He gave her kudos for her audaciousness to start a conversation with him. He wondered if she was like this with everyone or just men who happened to pick up the same box of cereal she liked.

“This town has a lot of secrets that could get an outsider killed if they don’t play their cards right,” the young woman said.

“I’ll take my chances,” Phinks said.

“The last outsider that said that turned up dead inside of their apartment.”

“Maybe the poor sucker should have fought back harder.”

“That’s a messed up thing to say,” the young woman said shaking her head. “What if that were you pleading for your life as some sick lunatic took an axe to your head?”

Phinks shrugged. “It wouldn’t happen because I would kill them before they had a chance to swing an axe at my head.” He paused and tilted his head to the side. “Of all the weapons they could have used, why an axe?”

“Why does that matter? Someone died and it’s putting the town on edge since it has one of the lowest crime rates,” the young woman said slightly panicky.

Phinks eyed her with a grin. “Really? What else can you tell me about this town?”

 “So anyways, where are you from?” the young woman asked changing the topic.

“Doesn’t matter,” Phinks said throwing the box of cereal into an empty basket on the ground beside him. He picked it up and turned to walk away but stopped because he didn’t know which aisle had milk. “Where can I find some milk at?”

“You didn’t answer my question?” the young woman said raising her voice a little. “I’ll tell you where the milk is at after you answer it.”

“It doesn’t matter where I’m from. Where is the milk?”

“Tell me where you’re from first.”

Phinks clenched and unclenched his jaw as he tried to calm himself down. He really wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and choke her until her pathetic life drained from her eyes as he stared into her face with a devious grin, wondering how many people would actually miss her if they found out she was gone. Or maybe he would break her neck and leave her body outside in a heap of trash where ravens and flies come to mourn the dead.

“What aisle is the milk in?” Phinks asked calming his voice.

The young woman shrugged again. “Obviously it’s in the aisle where milk is supposed to be at.”

“Fine, don’t tell me!” Phinks turned around and stormed away angrily.

What was her problem anyway? He asked her a simple question and she couldn’t give him an answer. Was everyone in the town like her with an exasperating attitude?

Phinks walked around the store for several minutes looking for milk cursing underneath his breath. He pushed people out of his way forcefully looking up and down every aisle as if he was making his way to hear his lover’s last words on their deathbed.

 “Where the hell is the milk?” Phinks yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Right here dickhead,” the young woman said placing a gallon of milk inside of his basket. “If you keep acting this, no one is going to help you.” She leaned toward his ear and lowered her voice. “You’re going to need all the help you can get since you’re new in town. New people don’t last that long.” She paused and chuckled a little. “It would be such a shame if something…bad were to happen to you.”

“I doubt that,” Phinks said harshly. “If someone tries to attack me, I’ll kill them before they have a chance.”

The young woman chuckled again. “Oh I bet you will Phinks.”

“How do you know my name?”

The young woman walked away backwards and winked at him playfully. “Let’s go on a date this weekend. Say…this Saturday? I’ll pick you up and take you to some nice restaurant where we can pretend to be lovers who will have steamy intimate sex later on that night at some hotel.”

“You’re crazy if you think I’ll actually go on a date with you!” Phinks shouted.

“Oh you will, because I’ll tell you everything about this town and where the exit is to return to your world,” the young woman said winking at him again.

~*~

Shalnark filled up a glass of water at the kitchen sink yawning a little. He was tired from researching on the internet for information only to come up empty handed. Every website he checked had general information about the town such as the population to crime rate. One website had an article about an upcoming Christmas parade in the downtown where the mayor dressed up as Santa Claus and handed out gifts to everyone in the crowd.

“I wonder if the library has anything,” Shalnark said slowly as he raised the glass of water to his lips and took a sip. The water tasted awful inside of his mouth that he spat it out into the sink. “Maybe I should stop by the store and buy some bottle of waters.”

Or spy on Feitan at the café because Shalnark had a feeling he was going to break his promise and kill someone. The word didn’t sit well with him whenever it rolled off of someone’s tongue. He swore every time he heard the word breathed into life by some person with a conniving smile; their name would appear on his hitman list he stored on his cellphone.

Shalnark didn’t recognize a lot of the names on the list because he’d type them without realizing what he was doing. His hand was on autopilot whenever he heard a broken promise. He once had to erase half of the phantom troupe’s name from the list because of the so called promises they made to him.

Shalnark couldn’t kill the other troupe members because of the rules put in place by Chrollo. They prevented him from turning every single member into his mindless toy he wanted to control until they broke and he disposed them for another; however, he knew his nen ability wouldn’t be able to penetrate the deepest parts of their bodies due to their attentiveness.

A knock on the door startled Shalnark out from his thoughts. He set the glass of water down on the kitchen counter and walked over to the door cautiously. Reaching into his pocket to grab an antenna, he stopped inches before the door and held in his breath for a few moments. If someone were to attack right as he opened it up, he wanted to be prepared to strike back.

Shalnark opened up the door to Phinks holding several bags in both of his hands with a livid expression on his face. His cheeks were as red as an apple and his hair was slightly disheveled. It looked like he just came from an intense make out session with someone who had confessed their undying love for him.

The sight was hilarious and a little awkward because Shalnark honestly thought he was messing around with someone before he arrived. It made the blonde slightly curious to know who the lucky person was that had a chance to kiss his defiled lips.

Did their tongues dance in a stall inside of a bathroom? Or was it at their residence?

“Ah Phinks, welcome back. Did you find anything out?” Shalnark asked.

Phinks brushed past him to the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter. He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet above the sink and a spoon from a drawer near the refrigerator. He placed them on the table behind him and grabbed the box of cereal from one bag and the milk from another.

“I didn’t find anything else on the internet beside an upcoming Christmas parade downtown,” Shalnark said walking over to the table and picking up the box of cereal. He stared at the cartoon cat’s eerie smile with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t know you eat cereal.”

Phinks snatched the box of cereal out of Shalnark’s hand and opened it up forcefully, causing the roasted flakes and marshmallows to spill onto the table in every direction. Some managed to find their way onto the ground.

“Great, I won’t have enough to eat later on,” Phinks grumbled.

“I plan on going to the library to find books about the town. Did you want to come with me or did you want to wait for Feitan to return from the café?” Shalnark asked.

Phinks reached his hand inside the box of cereal and grabbed a handful of roasted flakes and marshmallows. “Is she stalking me? Or maybe there’s another person with my name here.” He popped some cereal into his mouth and chewed it with his mouth open before swallowing. “Honestly, what type of woman asks a man their stalking out on a date?”

Shalnark blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“I know I’m gorgeous and have a great body, but stalking seems a little extreme. It’s not like I stalk the people I like,” Phinks said staring at the cereal in his hand with a grin on his face. His cheeks became redder. “She even thinks we’ll have sex later on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe I should go on the date with her since she was bold enough to ask me out.”

“Phinks, what the hell are you talking about?”

“I doubt she has a lot of money to pay for me at some fancy restaurant let alone information about this town or the supposed exit to get out of here.”

“Who has information about the town?” Shalnark asked tapping his finger on the table to get Phinks’s attention. “Did something happen while you were out?”

Phinks looked at Shalnark and shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Why did you say that someone knows something about this town? What exit are you talking about?” Shalnark asked leaning forward on the table. “What actually happened?”

“Nothing happened,” Phinks said picking up the box of cereal and walking over to the couch. He plopped down on it and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “I’ll tell Feitan you went to the library when he returns.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! Please leave a comment of what you think or kudos if you like. :)
> 
> The next chapter will shift back to Illumi and Chrollo.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating the next few chapters slowly. This chapter and next few will be short. Thank you for reading this!

Chrollo leaned against the counter and stared at the menu for a few moments as he tried to decide if he should order a coffee or ask for the café owner. His eyes scanned the prices next to the numerous coffee flavors until he found one that would satisfy his thirst. He needed something extremely bland since he was on the verge of stabbing someone with a pen because he wasn’t able to obtain information from anyone inside the café.

Chrollo and Illumi had asked around for information nobody wanted to answer their questions or they pretended they didn’t know what they were talking about. One couple admitted they were advised to avoid outsiders while another suggested talking to someone downtown.

Everyone had avoided eye contact with the two which made them curious to know what secrets they tried to hide behind the masks on their faces. Their postures told them a different story than the words rolling off their tongues. It was as if they were under a witch’s spell that prevented them from telling the truth.

It was a small problem, but nothing the two couldn’t handle.

“How can I help you?” A young man asked with large glasses on his face.

Chrollo glimpsed at his face before observing the large door behind him. He made a humming noise as he tried to think of an excuse to speak to the chubby man he thought was the café owner.

“I would like to order a coffee,” Chrollo began to say. He paused and leaned closer as if he was about to whisper something into the young man's ear. “I need to speak to the owner about something important.”

“The owner is busy right now but I can let him know you want to speak to him,” the young man said. He took a step back and grabbed a pen off a table next to the door behind him. “What is your name?”

“It’s not important,” Chrollo said.

“I’m sorry but I need a name if you want to speak to the owner,” the young man insisted.

A tick startled in his jaw “It’s Chrollo Lucilfer.”

The young man eyes went wide as if he saw a ghost behind him. “Wait, you’re the Chrollo Lucilfer?” He turned around and tapped a co-worker on the shoulder and pointed to the phantom troupe leader baring his white teeth. “I can’t believe your actually here. You’re famous and…” He leaned forward on the counter and lowered his voice. “You have two beautiful wives. Where are they at?”

Chrollo blinked. “You must have the wrong person.”

“But your name is Chrollo Lucilfer correct?”

“Yes, but…”

“Why are you on this side of town? Where are your wives?”

“You have the wrong person.”

The young man giggled. “It’s okay if you don’t want to admit who you are.” He pointed to a seat behind him. “Please take a seat and wait for a few minutes.”

Chrollo tapped his finger on the counter and wondered why the young man thought he was famous and had two wives. Did he have a doppelganger or was someone pretending to be him as some sick joke?

He continued to tap his finger on the counter and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, what do my wives look like?”

“One of them is tall with long black hair while the other is a red head and tends to have really ugly fashion,” the young man said crossing his arms. “I can’t remember what their names are but I remember seeing a picture of them in a magazine a few weeks ago.” He paused and tilted his head to the side. “Why can’t you remember who your wives are? Did you have an accident?”

If he went along with the idea that he was famous in the town, it would help him obtain information faster. A devious smile formed on his lips when he thought about all the things he could steal from the apartment where his doppelganger lived. He hoped there were antique items and a lot of old books he could read by a lit candle at night as Hisoka and Illumi slept beside him.

“Actually I did have an accident a few months ago. I can’t remember some people or places because of it,” Chrollo said in a low tone.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you recover soon,” the young man said sadly. "I'm just really happy your here right now."

From the corner of Chrollo’s eye he saw Illumi walking toward him with a blank expression on his face. His arms were crossed and his hair swayed back and forth with ease. From a distance he looked like a tall slender woman with an elegant face wearing dreadful clothes that looked like they came out a garbage can.

“Your wife is just as beautiful as the picture in the magazine!” the young man exclaimed.

“What the hell is he talking about?” Illumi asked.

Chrollo leaned toward Illumi’s ear and whispered. “He thinks we’re married and you’re a woman.”

Illumi raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to kill him.”

“Wait; just pretend you’re my wife until we get the information we need.”

“No, I’m going to kill him and everyone in this café.”

Chrollo closed his eyes. “I’ll pay you to act like my wife. How much do you want?”

Illumi smirked. “I want 5,000,000 jenny.”

“What? I don’t have that much money.”

“I guess you’ll have to find another wife.”

Chrollo opened up his eyes and clicked his tongue. “Fine, I’ll pay you plus something extra if you do a good job. Just don’t kill anyone.”

“You have a deal,” Illumi said hugging Chrollo and kissing him on the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! Please leave a comment or kudos if you like. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Feitan wasn’t the type to sit in one place and listen to a dull conversation that consisted of irrelevant questions. Every time he heard the word education or food rolling off the chubby man’s tongue, he wanted to lunge at his throat and rip out his vocal chords. He didn’t understand how the conversation had shifted from finding his fake parents to what type of education he received in middle school.

The fact the chubby man thought he was in middle school pissed him off even more. He nodded his head and pretended to be intrigued by the conversation about what type of classes he liked in school to the food served in the cafeteria. He laughed when asked if he bullied anyone because he appreciated a brutal fight that involved someone dying by his hands.

If the chubby man knew who he actually was, Feitan imagined him cowering in the corner and pissing his pants with fearful eyes. The sight would please his ferocious heart as he thought different ways to torture his body before ending his pathetic life.

The conversation continued for what seemed like hours until a young man with large glasses bounced into the room baring his white teeth. He breathed hard and raised his hands out in front of him as if he was protecting himself from a fierce attack.

“You won’t believe this!” the young man exclaimed skipping over to the desk and slamming his hands down on it. “Chrollo Lucilfer is here!”

The chubby man’s eyes went wide as if he just heard he won the lottery. “Are you serious? Chrollo Lucilfer is in my café? This is wonderful!”

“Yes, he’s standing by the counter with his wife. Isn’t it great?,” the young man said nodding his head. He turned and looked at Feitan with an eerie smile. “I bet this little guy wants an autograph by the famous painter.”

Chrollo? A famous painter? Yeah right Feitan thought as he leaned back into the chair. He wanted to tell the two his boss was a sociopath who enjoyed manipulating others to get what he wants. If someone got in his way, he’d kill them in an instant using a ball point pen or a ben’s knife without blinking an eye.

Feitan couldn’t imagine Chrollo married to anyone except to the ink stain pages inside the books he read by the candle light. He’s never seen his boss commit to any relationship for as long as he’s known him. The only relationship he’s seen his boss actually commit to is with Hisoka and Illumi yet it was in question because of how distance they were with each other at times.

Feitan’s relationship with Phinks and Shalnark was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces because of their cruel actions toward each other. Any form of communication went into one ear and out the other, causing the three to spill toxic words out of their mouth. It was exhausting yet they managed to apologize to each before they went to sleep at night.

“I’ve never heard of Chrollo Lucilfer. Who is he?” Feitan asked.

The chubby man placed his hand up in the air to stop the young man from answering Feitan’s question. “I’m glad you told me he’s here but I need to find this boy’s parents. Give Mr. Lucilfer the best service.” He paused and looked out the window by his desk real quick. “Maybe we can advertise he’s here to get more customers. Our business hasn’t been doing too well ever since crazy Pike started spouting that nonsense.”

“I heard she enrolled at Iris University a few months and still spouts that crazy nonsense that there are people coming to this town from a different world,” the young man said gritting his teeth. “I really hate her and her loud mouth. I wish someone would kill her.”

“Killing her won’t do anything. It will only cause another panic in the town. That’s the last thing we need right now,” the chubby man said shaking his head slowly. He lowered his voice. “I don’t want you to mention crazy Pike’s name to the other staff or the customers. That includes Chrollo Lucilfer.”

Feitan frowned when he heard a person name crazy Pike believed there were people from a different world. It was possible she knew who he was along with Phinks and Feitan. Maybe he could visit the university she attended and interrogate her questions. If she didn’t know anything, he would kill her despite Shalnark’s request to not shed any blood.

 “I’m going to meet Chrollo Lucilfer,” Feitan said.

~*~

Feitan walked down the hallway with his hands in his pocket, dodging boxes full of coffee bags. A strong smell of vanilla and mint filled his nose as he opened up the door leading to the check-out counter. He shut the door and stopped moving when he saw Illumi hugging Chrollo tightly. Their lips were inches away from making contact while their eyes were filled with annoyance.

“Danchou?” Feitan spat out loudly.

“Feitan?” Chrollo moved his face away from Illumi. “What are you doing here?”

Chrollo really was in the town. Why was Illumi hugging his boss tightly as if they were lovers who haven’t seen each other in years? Feitan knew the two were close friends but there wasn’t anything intimate between them.  

At least that’s what he thought until now.

 “There you are!” the young man said slamming the door open so hard it chipped part of the paint on the wall upon impact. “We still need to find your par…”

“Dancho—I mean father!” Feitan yelled waving at Chrollo. “I can’t believe you’re here to pick me up.”

Some people stopped eating and looked over at Feitan as he ran around the counter to push Illumi away from Chrollo. He hugged his boss tightly mustering a wry smile on his lips with his eyes wide as if he was meeting his biological father for the first time. In the back of his mind, he kept telling himself to play the part as a good son who had accidently wondered off on his own.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Feitan said sarcastically. He looked up at Chrollo’s face and saw his bewildered expression. “Can we go home now?”

~*~

“My…son…what are you doing here?” Chrollo said slowly as he reached down to ruffle Feitan’s hair as the young man behind the counter stared at them with his mouth open. “What a surprise.”

Wait, what why is Feitan in the café? When he heard there were others from their world, he didn’t think a member of the phantom troupe was trapped in the town. Did the other members come as well?

 “Hold up, that’s your son?” the young man squealed. “This is the best day of my life!” He took out his cellphone and pressed a few buttons. “Can I please take your picture?”

Feitan pinched Chrollo’s leg. “Daddy, aren’t we late to my piano recital?” He pinched harder a little. “I can’t be late again otherwise they’ll charge you more money.”

Chrollo winched at the word daddy as it rolled off Feitan’s tongue. It made him feel awkward because he never imagined the small thief pretending to be his son. Even if he was doing it to for an important reason, there were other suitable scripts he could have memorized and acted out in front of a lackluster crowd. Pretending to be his son would only cause more problems since he acquired an irritating fan who’d believe he has a child with Illumi.

“Can I please take your picture?” the young man asked again with shaky hands. He almost dropped his cellphone as he took a step forward. “I just want one picture to show my family.”

“Dear, we should really go,” Illumi pulled on Chrollo’s arm toward the exit. “We can’t be late to our son’s piano recital.”

Chrollo didn’t budge because he wanted to ask the young man questions about his doppelganger. He wanted to know where they lived so that he could search through their belongings for anything important. If he found something valuable during his search, he wanted to steal it and sell it for money so that he could buy food to refill the empty refrigerator in his apartment.

As much as Chrollo wanted to return to his own world, he wanted to fill his stomach with a home cooked meal because he was tired of eating crackers and cheese for dinner. If there wasn’t any crackers and cheese available, he ate a cup of noodles that tasted as if someone had poured sour milk inside of it. He tried asking Hisoka to go grocery shopping once but the magician had lied to him with a poor excuse that he wasn’t feeling well. The phantom troupe leader knew he was lying because he’s never seen him sick for as long as they known each other.

Chrollo snapped out of his thoughts when Illumi pulled on his arm again. “Dear, let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

“But what about my picture?” the young man yelled.

. “Take my picture and I’ll rip your throat out,” Illumi said underneath his breath as he opened up the door and stepped outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! Please let me know what you think, leave a kudo, or let me know if you find any grammatical errors. I'll go back through and make the corrections when I get a chance.


	7. Chapter 7

Shalnark always liked the way the library open its arms up to him and welcomed him inside its world filled with adventures to diverse destinations. He liked the way the books felt on his fingertips as he ran his hand across the covers to each one with his eyes closed breathing slowly as if he was waiting to be transported inside each story.

If he was able to jump inside of a book and go on a courageous adventure with Phinks and Feitan by his side, he would do it in a heartbeat; however, the thought of the two traveling with him made his stomach churn because of the toxic words they spit at each other during a casual conversation.

The blonde groaned a little as he stopped walking past several tables with books lay out on top in a line. A sigh escaped his lips as he opened up his eyes and searched the titles on each book for one that may have information about the town. Nothing stood out except for a small book that had a large ink stain in the middle.

Shalnark reached over to pick up the book when he spotted another book at the edge of the table. There was a water stain in the middle that damaged a picture of a pearl. In large font above the water stain was the title _Travelers Guide to Pearl: Everything You Need to Know about the Greatest City on Earth_. The blonde raised his eyebrow at the strange title and snorted out loud as he tucked the book underneath his arm and walked over to a desk with a lamp on top of it.

He sat down at the desk and opened the book up to the first chapter. There wasn’t anything important on the page except information about a famous artist name Chrollo Lucilfer. The blonde blinked several times and reread the name again. His boss couldn’t be a famous artist living in the town? Or could he?

Shalnark turned to the next page and saw a picture of the famous artist with two women at his side. They stood in front of a tall building that looked like the very library he was in. Their clothes were elegant and colorful with diamonds embedded everywhere. It looked ugly in the blonde’s eyes but he figured it was a style a famous artist wore.

“That’s strange, where are their faces?” Shalnark said slowly as he looked at three large black circles in place of their face. It looked like someone had used a black marker to scribble out their face for whatever reason. He figured someone had a grudge against the artist.

“I should steal this book and show it to Phinks and Feitan. They’ll be surprised to know someone is pretending to be Chrollo in this town,” Shalnark began to say but stopped when he heard two people walking toward him, discussing the very artist he was curious about.

“Did you hear someone saw Chrollo Lucilfer down at the café? I can’t believe that ignorant prick had enough nerve to show his face out in public with his wife. Everyone knows he’s a fraud and that he’s cheating on both of his wives. I swear to god he can’t keep it in his pants,” the first person said angrily.

“I don’t care. I wouldn’t mind hooking up with him if he asked me out. He has so much money and status in this town. Plus he’s gorgeous and looks good in anything,” the second person cooed. They lowered their voice a little. “He’s having a Christmas party this weekend at his mansion. We should go so that I can meet him.”

“Why? I don’t want to meet that ignorant prick,” the first person began to say. They paused before responding. “On a second thought, I guess I could go. It gives me a chance to gather information about the fraud of an artist for my next article.”

“Or you could find a hot guy to hook up with,” the second person laughing.

The two walked past Shalnark giggling and exited the room. The blonde’s eyes lit up with excitement because this was his opportunity to gather information at the party. The only problem was getting in and finding out where the mansion was located at.

“Looks like I have my next task,” Shalnark said standing up. He tucked the book underneath his arm and left the room without renting the book.

 

~*~

Hisoka entered the apartment quietly and made his way to the kitchen to find something to eat for dinner. He opened up the refrigerator door and smelled something sour that stung his nose. He looked for the source of the smell and saw some molding cheese hidden on the top shelf next to a jar of strawberry.

“Nothing to eat like usual,” Hisoka groaned as he shut the refrigerator door and walked over to the bed across from the kitchen and plopped down on it. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling for several minutes pondering if he should stop by the café to order some food or find a worthy opponent to kill.

The young woman from the art museum had made his murderous itch grow stronger with her death threat. He dared her to show up to the apartment and try to kill him with her bare hands. He prayed she would because he wanted a brutal fight to satisfy his bloodlust.

Hisoka made a humming noise as he contemplated hunting down the young woman in his twisted mind as he stared up at the ceiling and counted the number of spider webs clinging to the dingy white paint. Some paint was chipped off near a large spider web in the corner of the room. It created a unique pattern that mesmerized the magician’s eyes.

The front door opened up quickly as Chrollo, Illumi, and Feitan stormed into the room talking loudly as if music was blasting loudly in the air. They grew quiet when they spotted Hisoka lying on the bed with a grin on face staring out into space. They could tell his mind was traveling to a different reality because of his wondering eyes.

“Where have you been?” Chrollo asked taking off his jacket and tossing it on the kitchen counter. “Did you find out anything?”

Hisoka grinned harder as the young woman’s death threat echoed in his mind. Will she visit him tonight or at dawn?

“Hisoka came with you? That’s disturbing,” Feitan said crossing his arms and walking over to a broken chair by a window. He sat down and gave Hisoka a frigid stare. “I really don’t like you.”

“Did you find out anything?” Chrollo asked again. This time there was a slight hint of annoyance in his voice.

Hisoka glanced over at him quickly. “I may have something.”

“Tell us,” Illumi demanded.

“I met a girl today…a lovely girl who has a huge crush on me,” Hisoka started to say in a teasing tone. He raised his hands into the air as if he was waiting for something to fall from the ceiling and made a card appear. “She figured out that I’m not from this town.

“What did she say?” Illumi asked as he walked over to the bed and sat down. He took off his sweater and folded it up neatly. “You better not lie to us.”

“She thinks something might happen to me while I’m sleeping…say a fatal accident,” Hisoka said slowly. He paused and stared at Illumi as his posture stiffened. “The question is, how did she know I’m not from this town?”

“Why would you go to an art museum? Why not torture some moron inside of their home for answers?” Feitan asked leaning back against the chair.

“Because I’m not like you little boy,” Hisoka responded quickly.

Feitan stood up from the chair with fire in his eyes. “I’m not little you piece of crap! I’m the same age as you!”

Illumi tilted his head to the side. “Really? I thought you were around Kalluto’s age. You look very young.”

“Would you two stop talking for a moment,” Chrollo said leaning against the kitchen counter. He crossed his arms and sighed a little. “What else did she tell you?”

“Nothing," Hisoka lied.

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes."

“He’s lying,” Feitan spat out.

Hisoka chuckled. “Oh really? What am I lying about?”

“Would you two stop!” Chrollo shouted. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside Illumi. “Let’s focus on the task. If we want to acquire more information we’ll need to talk to more people. Luckily some people believe I’m a famous artist who’s married to Illumi.”

Hisoka almost choked on his spit when he heard the words coming out of Chrollo’s mouth. How could anyone believe the two were married? And how is the phantom troupe leader a famous artist? He’s never seen the thief pick up a brush and paint a picture.

“And another woman that sounds a lot like Hisoka,” Illumi added.

Feitan shivered a little. “That’s disgusting.”

Chrollo shrugged. “I plan on visiting their home tomorrow in the evening during the Christmas parade.”

“You know where they live at?” Hisoka asked with curiosity in his eyes. He wanted to tag along because he wanted to see if Chrollo’s doppelganger was as strong as him.

Chrollo made a humming noise as he cupped his chin. “You could come since I’m married to someone who looks like you but..,” He looked at Hisoka’s body up and down with a frown. “You would have to disguise yourself as a woman if we want to access their apartment. There are probably bodyguards and a lot of security cameras everywhere. If we want to get inside without any issues, we’ll have to play the part as a husband and wife.”

Hisoka licked his lips and thought about Chrollo’s suggestion for a few moments. If he did disguise himself as a woman, he would be one step closer to a marvelous fight against someone who may be as strong as Chrollo. If he didn’t, he would have a hard time accessing the apartment which meant killing all of the bodyguards and other people along the way. It wasn’t a big issue for him to spill blood since his murderous itch was screaming for food like a newborn wanting their mother’s milk.

Hisoka needed to feed his itch soon before his sanity shattered into a million pieces and he went on a killing rampage across the town.

Feitan raised his hand in the air to stop Hisoka from responding. “Can we first discuss why anyone would believe you are a famous artist married to two women who look like Hisoka and Illumi? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Illumi crossed his leg and straighten his back. “Your right, it doesn’t make any sense but there’s no point in dwelling over it. We can use it to our advantage to find a way out of this town while keeping a low profile.” He snorted a little when he thought about walking in high heels. “It will give me something to do since Chrollo doesn’t want us to kill anyone…yet.”

“Shalnark is the same way. He keeps complaining every time we suggest torturing someone for information. It’s extremely annoying. I bet he’s killed someone already,” Feitan said gritting his teeth. “Danchou, I want you to take over and run this operation. Shalnark is too weak.”

Hisoka turned over on the bed and faced Feitan. Part of his hair fell into his face. “Chrollo doesn’t want us to kill anyone. Isn’t he weak just like Shalnark?”

“Danchou isn’t weak you piece of crap!” Feitan shouted.

“Technically you could say that he is weak because he’s choosing to take the safe route,” Illumi added.

Feitan scoffed. “Whose side are you on?”

“Relax Feitan. Hisoka doesn’t mean any harm,” Chrollo said.

“Are you jealous because I’m closer to Chrollo than you are?” Hisoka asked as he rolled to his side to face Chrollo’s back. He reached his hand out to touch his back gently. “I can share a few personal things about your leader you may not know about.”

Feitan snorted. “Please, Chrollo and I have been friends since we were young. I know everything about him.”

“Everything?” Hisoka teased.

“Yes I know everything!” Feitan shouted again. “What’s your point?”

Hisoka sat up and moved in between Chrollo and Illumi. “Did you know we are in a relationship?”

Chrollo leaned back on the bed and shifted the conversation to another topic. He didn’t want to share details about his relationship with Illumi and Hisoka to Feitan. He trusted the small thief but he liked to keep his personal life private.

 “You mentioned Shalnark earlier? Who else came with you?” Chrollo asked.

Feitan blinked. “Phinks.”

“Do you live in this apartment?”

“We live down the hall in the apartment next to the emergency exit,” Feitan said. He stood up and walked over to the front door. “I’m going to get Phinks and Shalnark so that we can have a troupe meeting.”

“The other members aren’t here to have a troupe meeting,” Illumi said.

“Illumi, you and Hisoka can become a temporary member of the phantom troupe until we get back to our world,” Chrollo said closing his eyes. He felt a hint of regret behind his words because he had made Hisoka into a member years ago, only to find out the crazy magician wanted to kill him. “Let’s start a meeting as soon as Phinks and Shalnark get here.”

“I get to call you danchou again,” Hisoka purred.

“Don’t wear the word out,” Chrollo said feeling a slight headache forming. He lay down on the bed and sighed. “After the meeting is done, I’m going to sleep. Please don’t wake me up unless it’s an emergency.”

“Same here,” Illumi said nudging Hisoka in the side. “If you touch me while I’m sleeping, I’m going to stab you in the chest.”

“I look forward to that,” Hisoka cooed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter wasn't confusing. The next chapter will be about Phinks's date.
> 
> Thank you for reading this. Please leave a comment about what you think or a kudo if you like. :^)


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